There are currently a number of different technologies available for monitoring media streams. One type of stream monitoring involves users physically observing a media stream using a streaming player application. The observers may be Customer Service users, in which case they can report problems to a service department, but problem identification based on observation can be sporadic and unreliable. In some cases, the observers may be trained Quality Assurance personnel, which can improve the reliability of the monitoring, but it can still be difficult to pinpoint the source of identified problems.
A second type of stream monitoring is referred to as Single Stream Monitoring. In Single Stream Monitoring, a single application is dedicated to monitoring a single stream resource. All information required to connect to the stream is generally hard-coded into the application. Client-side monitoring, which involves a monitoring module built into an end-user client application, is a third option.
Each of these technologies provides limited stream monitoring capabilities. Some are limited to monitoring a small subset of available streaming protocols and formats, while others may not provide the ability to monitor all important aspects of a stream. It is apparent, therefore, that currently available stream monitoring technologies are less than perfect.